http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ePgEtBUGiM  

Monday morning. Bright sunny sky. And one disheveled looking boy. That is how Joon woke up. His hair was sticking out in different places. His eyes were still half-closed as he walked around like a zombie.

He even walked with his arms up, groaning like a zombie would. “Ugh, I hate Mondays.”

Since he wasn’t watching where he was going, he tripped over his own two feet and landed face first. He let out a disgruntled sound and laid there for a moment.

*Monday morning, Monday mornings, oh how I hate Monday mornings.*

Suddenly, there was a quiet, rapid knock on his door. Joon lifted his head up and stared at his front door, still making no attempt to get up.

After a few more seconds, the person knocked on the door again. It sounded more urgent this time.

A low growl was building up in the back of Joon’s throat; he was never a morning person. Hence the reason he slept in on Sundays.

He finally made it to the door and abruptly pulled it open. He snarled out a “What?” obviously not caring who was at the door.

“Yah, we’re going to be late for school at this rate. You’re still not ready?”

Minah’s voice came to Joon and instantly woke him up. His eyes widened and he gasped, a little too dramatically.

“Minah?! What are you doing here?” He asked. Minah placed her hands on her hips and gave Joon a look that blatantly said, ‘If I wasn’t here right now, you’d still be on the floor.’

Grinning sheepishly, Joon pulled Minah inside his apartment. “Wait out here, I’m gonna go get ready.”

Minah watched him rush around the apartment, grabbing this, putting on that, and five minutes later he was ready. Chuckling softly, Minah fixed Joon’s messed up tie and patted down the strands of hair that were out of place.

Joon’s gaze softened as he watched Minah make him look more presentable. *This is how things should be and how they should always be. Just me and you helping each other out, completing one another.*

“We should get going,” Minah said. Joon nodded in agreement and smiled brightly. “Last one to school has to buy the winner ice cream!”

Right after Joon shouted that, he immediately took off. Minah had only seconds to take in what he said until she sprinted after him.

The pair dashed through the streets, Joon already ahead of her by a lot. They reached the school gates and saw Himchan standing there, his arms crossed and an amused grin on his face.

“I see the lovebirds have made their appearance,” he teased. Joon flushed a bright red while Minah nudged Himchan in the ribs. He yelped in pain and shot her a look. “Thank you Miss Grumpy. I now have a beautiful bruise to show off to my girlfriend.”

“You have a girlfriend?!” Joon exclaimed. Himchan grinned and nodded. “Yup, she’s right here,” Himchan responded, throwing an arm around Minah’s shoulders.

Minah made a sound of protest while Joon wrenched Himchan’s arm off of her. “Yah, she’s not your girlfriend!”

“What if she was? You jealous?” Himchan retorted. Joon became flustered then and frantically shook his head.

“N-no I would not be jealous and I am not jealous now,” he replied, crossing his arms. “If you two don’t stop bickering, we’re going to be late,” Minah said.

She was already way ahead of the pabo duo so they jogged to catch up with her. They walked at a brisk pace, hoping to get to class on time without exerting too much energy.

Suddenly, someone crashed between Joon and Minah, breaking the two apart. He bowed frantically before scurrying off.

All Minah saw was a head of blond hair, and a familiar pair of eyes. They so strikingly resembled someone she knew, but she couldn’t place who it was.

Himchan scoffed at the boy, snorting derisively. “What an , just bumping into you two like that.”

However, Minah didn’t care about that. She was enwrapped in the image of the boy’s eyes. She knew those eyes, she knew that boy. She just couldn’t remember where she had seen him before.

The bell rang, pulling Minah back to reality. “Oh ! We’re late!” Himchan yelled. He made a mad dash for his classroom, ditching Joon and Minah.

They both gave a last glance at one another before going off to their respective classrooms. When Minah entered the room, everyone stared at her. The teacher gave her a warning since this was her first time being tardy.

G.O smiled softly at Minah and whispered a good morning as she sat down. She nodded back and turned her attention towards the front.

A feeling of happiness and relief washed over G.O as he secretly snuck glances at Minah. He didn’t know why, but the weekend had dragged by so slowly for him and all he had wanted was to see Minah.

The quiet peaceful times they had together, although it had only been a week, had become comforting to him. It reminded him of the time he spent with his father a long time ago.

Their father and son quality time would consist of them escaping the confines of their small apartment and going out of the city. They would enjoy the fresh air and the beauty of nature by a lake; sometimes they just talked about random things while other times they lay on the grass in silence, soaking in the warm rays of sunlight.

At night, his father would always point out the different constellations to him. “Look Byunghee-ah, there’s Orion’s belt. That’s the Big Dipper over there. And of course, the north star.” His father would say things like that to him. G.O loved how his dad would get a far-away look in his eyes as he talked about the stars. He found himself becoming like that, admiring the beauty of the night sky.

*I wanna look at the stars with Minah someday.*

G.O was suddenly jolted out of his memories when he felt a tap on his shoulder. His head turned and his eyes focused on Minah, peering at him through her mask.

“G.O-ssi, class is over.” Minah smiled behind her mask, amused by the dazed look G.O had moments earlier. “Oh, also I was thinking of having lunch in the music room today? Do you mind?”

After being brought back to reality, G.O nodded. “S-sure,” he managed to stammer. He could already feel his cheeks heating up, definitely turning that bright red that always happens when he’s embarrassed.

Minah didn’t seem to notice, or she didn’t want to embarrass him further, and waved goodbye. “I’ll see you at lunch then.”

She walked down the hall towards her next class and her eyes caught sight of a head of blond hair. Picking up her pace, she tried to catch up with the boy but he quickly disappeared in the waves of people.

She let out a small sigh, curiosity still biting at her. Minah wanted to know who that boy was and why he looked so familiar.

The world started to spin and Minah felt weightless, her body crushed against another person’s.

“Minah!!” A voice, belonging to none other than her best friend Joon, exclaimed happily. She yelped and hit Joon on the shoulder in protest. Other students paused and stared at the pair.

“What are they doing?”

“That guy knows Minah?”

“Are they friends or something? I didn’t think she had any.”

“Yah, Joon! Put me down now!” Minah snapped quietly yet firmly. He placed her on the ground, a big grin on his face.

“Sorry, but guess what?! I’m going to eat lunch with you today and for the rest of the school year!” Joon said. Minah straightened out her uniform then looked up at him curiously. “Why?”

“Because I want to silly! How could I not eat with my best friend? Also, I’m tired of Himchan’s never-ending chatter,” he replied. “Alright fine, just don’t pick me up anymore,” Minah responded.

Joon nodded enthusiastically and said goodbye before scurrying off to his class. When Joon left, Minah soon became aware of the many pairs of eyes staring at her. She did her best to ignore them but the chilling feeling she felt didn’t go away.

*What are they staring at? Are they that surprised to see I have a friend?*

She scoffed inwardly and went off to her next class. The next few periods passed by uneventfully for Minah. Nobody ran into her in the hallways, nobody said anything to her.

Ding. Time for lunch. It was the usual routine as students poured out of their classrooms and into the cafeteria. Minah avoided being swept away and managed to get to the music room unharmed.

When she got there, G.O was already sitting in a chair with his lunch in his lap. He looked up and smiled softly at her.

“H-hello,” he mumbled. Minah’s face flashed in his mind again and he felt guilty all over again. It had been a while since he had seen it, but the image still stuck just as clear as when he first saw it. *Jung Byunghee, get yourself together. She may be the most beautiful girl you’ve ever seen, but still. Calm down, breathe.*

He found his attempts at calming himself feeble when Minah walked over to him. His breathing sped up rather than slowed down and his heart slammed against his rib cage. The palms of his hands were moist with perspiration and he rubbed them on his slacks to dry them.

*It’s alright Byunghee. She won’t know you saw her face unless you tell her. So don’t tell her or she’ll be really angry.*

A gentle pressure on his shoulder made him look up. He gasped audibly when he saw Minah staring at him with a look of concern in her eyes.

“Are you okay G.O-ssi?” She asked. G.O nodded numbly and motioned toward her lunch. “L-let’s eat.”

Minah glanced around the room, realizing that Joon was not there. “Did Joon come by?” She asked. G.O shook his head.

At that precise moment, the door burst open and Joon ran in, panting heavily. “Minah! Help me! I’m being chased!” Joon shouted dramatically.

Seconds later, Cheondoong ran in after him and slammed the door shut. His chest heaved up and down as he took shallow breaths. Joon scrambled over to Minah and pointed accusingly at Cheondoong.

“It’s his fault! He asked me where you were and I wouldn’t tell him. Then, I heard them. They were screaming and clawing at him and they even started to touch me! It was so scary! I thought I was going to die.”

Minah could make no sense of what Joon was saying so she looked to Cheondoong for clarification. He merely placed a finger on his lips and slid behind the door, out of sight from the outside.

Everyone in the room was silent and soon enough, there was a constant thudding sound coming from down the hall. It sounded like a stampede of buffalo as a group of Cheondoong’s fan girls rushed by the room screaming his name. They went past the music room and continued off down the hallway.

After a couple more seconds, Cheondoong got out of his hiding spot and calmly walked over to the three. “Sorry about that. I was being chased by my fans. I don’t know why they were like that today.”

Joon’s eyes narrowed at Cheondoong, his finger was still pointing at him. “Then why did you ask me where Minah was?”

“I wanted to eat lunch with her,” he replied. Joon wrinkled his nose in distaste and turned towards Minah.

“Do you know this guy?” He asked. Minah nodded. Joon crossed his arms and huffed a little, like a child would. Minah ignored him and gestured for Cheondoong to sit.

“Sit down. Let’s eat before lunch is over.” Cheondoong smiled and pulled out a neatly packed lunch. Joon scooted in between Cheondoong and Minah, smiling cheekily. Minah rolled her eyes and let him do what he wanted.

A groan from the back of the room put all four of them on alert. They turned around and looked to the back, trying to find the source of the sound.

Moments later, Seungho sat up, rubbing his eyes. “Ugh, what does it take for a guy to get a decent nap?” He complained.

He stood up, his eyes narrowed into a deadly glare. Joon let out a small yelp, Cheondoong blinked in fear, and G.O froze like a statue. Minah was the only one that didn’t seem fazed by Seungho’s glare.

When he saw Minah, Seungho instantly softened. His lips curled up in a small smile and he walked down to the four of them.

“Hi Minah,” he greeted. Minah mumbled a shy hello back and Seungho sat down on a chair with the group.

Seungho finally noticed the three guys surrounding Minah and raised an eyebrow. “Who are you guys?” He scanned over them and nodded at G.O, recognizing him from before.

“I’m Park Cheondoong,” Cheondoong said, holding his hand out. Seungho glanced him over for a second before shaking his hand.

“And I’m Lee Joon! Minah’s best friend,” Joon exclaimed. He grabbed Seungho’s hand and shook it enthusiastically. “Are you a friend of Minah’s?” He asked. Seungho nodded and pulled his hand back.

A dense atmosphere seemed to fall on all of them, even the usually bright Joon. Nobody knew what to say next or how to start the conversation.

Joon cleared his throat and tried to strike up a conversation topic with Seungho by asking him random things like his favorite color or his favorite food. Seungho would answer politely while his eyes darted around the room.

It seemed like the only connection the four boys had was Minah and she was doing nothing to ease them into a comfortable conversation. She merely stared out the window while poor Joon did his best to keep the conversation going.

G.O munched on his lunch silently, feeling his throat closing up on him, losing the ability to speak. He didn’t know how to speak now that it wasn’t just him and Minah.

Cheondoong gazed at Minah every once in a while, wondering why she wasn’t speaking. He never knew what was going on through her mind. Weren’t they friends now? Wasn’t she friends with all of them? Why wasn’t she comfortable enough to talk at the moment?

Meanwhile, a million thoughts were running through Minah’s mind. Questions like how she ended up surrounded by four guys. She still didn’t know what she felt for the boys yet, except for Joon. Cheondoong had apparently become her friend. G.O was more like a familiar companion. And Seungho, well Minah was always confused when it came to him.

There was a loud crack as the door was thrown open. The intruder strutted in like they owned the place, kicking the door closed behind them. Five pairs of eyes locked onto him, scrutinizing his every move. The person merely smirked in a way that only he could.

“Well, this is one motley little group, isn’t it?” Mir said, pulling up a chair and sitting right in front of Minah. He chuckled as he glanced around at all of them. “What? Do I look like some alien or something?”

Minah scowled at Mir although he would never be able to see it. She wondered how the guy who had been somewhat kinder to her on Saturday suddenly went back to being an .

Mir reached out and picked up the uneaten apple lying on Minah’s lap. He brushed it on his sleeve and sunk his teeth into it. Minah heard the crunch as Mir’s teeth broke through the flesh of the fruit and she couldn’t help but snap too.

“What are you doing here?” She demanded to know. Mir raised an eyebrow and his lips curled up a little. “I’m your friend, aren’t I? I should be allowed to have lunch with you.”

Joon’s jaw dropped as he looked between Minah and Mir. “What?! This guy is your friend?!” Joon shouted. “I disapprove! He is no good Minah, he’ll only bring trouble. Just look at him!”

Minah watched as Joon gestured wildly at Mir trying to hint at some unknown evil he seemed to see in him. She admitted that Mir wasn’t necessarily the nicest person in the world. And, whatever warm feelings she had for him on Saturday were being suppressed by the reality that Mir was still a jerk.

She could see it in the way he sat, leaning back in a way that indicated how he thought he was better than everyone. She could see it in the way he casually ate her apple while everyone else in their room was staring him down.

“Whatever you say, I’m still her friend though,” Mir responded to Joon. Joon was fuming with anger, his chest heaving as he killed Mir with his mind. Minah was somewhat perturbed by the way Joon was so against Mir; he could usually get along with anyone.

Suddenly, Mir felt himself being lifted up by the collar. He blinked in confusion and focused on the angry person suspending him in the air. “Oh, it’s you,” Mir said.

Seungho’s eyes narrowed dangerously at Mir. “Why the hell are you here? Don’t you know that you’re the reason Minah got hurt before?” He spat contemptuously.

“I do know. And that’s why I’m her friend. I’m going to protect her from getting hurt again,” Mir replied testily. He wanted to control his anger for Minah’s sake but found it hard when Seungho aggravated him so much.

Finally, G.O stepped up and grabbed Seungho’s arm gently. “Just put him down. There’s no need to be angry with him. He’s like us,” he said firmly. In his mind, G.O was surprised at how confident he sounded.

Seungho put Mir down and cautiously took his seat again. “What do you mean, ‘he’s like us’?” Seungho asked. G.O shifted uncomfortably in his seat, unsure of what to say. He didn’t know why he said that either.

“He’s Minah’s friend, just like we are. He cares about her, maybe not as much as some of us, but he still does. If we’re going to be friends with Minah then I think we have to get along with one another,” Cheondoong finally spoke up.

Slowly, the four other guys agreed with Cheondoong’s statement. Seungho and Mir glared at one another while they nodded in consent. It would be tough, but for Minah they would keep their hate for one another inconspicuous.

“So Minah, what do you think? Friends?” Cheondoong asked. He glanced around at everyone and they all turned their attention towards Minah.

Minah nodded and whispered a timid, “Friends.” Joon let out a whoop of happiness, but then remembered his distaste for Mir. He gave him a wary look. *Well, if Minah’s alright with him as a friend then I should be too.*

He smiled brightly at Mir and stuck out his hand. “Nice to meet you Mir. I’m Joon.”

Mir gave Joon a hi-five rather than shaking his hand and smirked. Joon pulled his hand back, blinking in confusion.

Then, the boys began to introduce themselves one by one. Minah watched with little interest as to what they were saying. Once the boys got acquainted, the bell rang. Minah got up and left without a goodbye, still trying to sort out her thoughts.

That day, she walked out of the room with not just one or two friends, but five. It was something she never thought she would experience. The thought of actually having a friend was new to her ever since she was separated from Jongup.

As she was walking to her next class, she couldn’t help but think about how different they all were, those six friends. She thought about herself, the girl with the mask who was always alone.

She then thought about G.O who was like her, always alone. Yet she still didn’t know much about him besides that.

Then there was Joon, her best friend. He was always bright and cheerful no matter what. Making friends came easy to him since he got along well with almost everybody.

Next was Cheondoong, an idol with a tragic past. He was usually calm and serene. He held a love for music just like Minah did.

Mir. Loud, hot- tempered, and a natural . Or that’s what Minah saw him as. She didn’t know very much beyond that except for the fact that his father abused him. Just like her father did.

And finally there was Seungho. Silent and mysterious. Gentle and caring to Minah. She didn’t know much about him either; just that he always seemed to be there at the right moments.

As Minah sat in her class, she contemplated how these six people’s paths crossed. Maybe they were fated to meet, so that they could lean on one another for support after all the hardships they faced. She wasn’t too sure about it herself. She only knew that she was stuck on the same road as those five guys from now on and deep down inside of her, she didn’t want to leave that path and be alone again.